Racial Harmony Through Free Stuff

Above Average Jane directs me to something I missed in the December issue of Philadelphia magazine.

Weeks before Election Day, Local 98 boss John Dougherty sent a message to union members, 80 percent of whom are white: Don’t let Obama’s skin color impede your vote. Even more intriguing than his plea to bridge the racial divide was how it was delivered — J. Doc mailed 5,000 one-time-use MP3 players loaded with his pro-Obama stump speech, plus words from building trades manager Pat Gillespie, Rep. Pat Murphy and Senator Bob Casey. Operation MP3 ran a cool $90,000 — but Dougherty says it was worth it: “Everybody loved it. I even saw one on Craigslist for $150.”

What I really like is that Johnny Doc sounds like he was pretty stoked when he saw one of those MP3 players on eBay. (Also: One-time-use? Is that even possible? I guess so, but you think it’d be a cooler gift if it were an iPod Shuffle.)

Anyway, It’s good to know we’ve reached a point in society where just a little free MP3 player can turn even the most racist men into diversity-loving Obama voters. Or something like that.

Interesting Note From Dec. Phillymag [Above Average Jane]